The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says the personal email account of Kash Patel, its director, was hacked by a “group linked to Iran”.
The FBI said it is aware of “malicious actors” targeting
Patel’s email information.
“The information in question is historical in nature and
involves no government information,” the FBI said in a statement.
The Handala Hack Team, published what it claimed were
documents and photographs taken from Patel’s account on its website on Friday.
The group also shared what it described as Patel’s résumé
and added a message saying: “This is just our beginning”.
Images circulating online show Patel in various locations,
including beside a vintage convertible, standing near a jet, smoking cigars,
and taking selfies with a bottle of liquor.
Some of the photos appear to have been taken in restaurants
and hotels.
The Handala group claimed the operation demonstrated
weaknesses in US cybersecurity.
“The so-called ‘impenetrable’ systems of the FBI were
brought to their knees within hours by our team,” the group said.
“This is the security that the US government boasts about?!
This is the cyber giant that thinks threats and bribes can silence the voice of
resistance?”
The FBI has announced a reward of up to $10 million for
information that could help identify members of the hacking group.
The US department of justice previously seized several
domains linked to the Handala group, accusing it of operating under Iran’s
Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).
The department said the websites had been used to spread
propaganda, claim responsibility for cyber attacks, and call for violence
against journalists and dissidents.
Officials said the domain used in the attack against Patel
was registered on March 19 — the same day authorities announced the seizure of
other websites linked to the group.
Handala said the hacking of Patel’s email account was
carried out in retaliation for the seizure of its domains and the FBI’s reward
offer.
The group has also claimed responsibility for a recent cyber
attack on Stryker, a US medical technology company.
During that incident, hackers defaced the company’s employee
login page with a message claiming that data had been wiped.
The group said it had erased “over 200,000 systems, servers
and mobile devices” and extracted “50 terabytes of critical data”.
US intelligence officials have warned that Iran-linked cyber
groups could intensify attacks on Western targets amid rising geopolitical
tensions.
Patel, who became the ninth director of the FBI in 2025, had
previously been targeted in a separate hacking incident in 2024 before assuming
office.
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